Technical Field
The present invention relates to a battery terminal mounted on a battery to relay supply of power from the battery.
Related Art
In conventional, it has often been the case in vehicles that power is supplied from a battery via a battery terminal (e.g., see JP 2011-187301 A).
In FIG. 4, a fuse unit including a related art example of a battery terminal is illustrated. A fuse unit 5 illustrated in FIG. 4 is directly mounted on a rod-like electrode 62, which projects from a terminal mounting surface 61 of a battery 6, and includes a battery terminal 51 and a fusible link 52. FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the fuse unit illustrated in FIG. 4.
The battery terminal 51 is an approximately rectangular-shaped terminal in a plan view, with an electrode insertion hole 511 provided on the side of one end of the battery terminal 51 in the longitudinal direction. The rod-like electrode 62 of the battery 6 is inserted through the electrode insertion hole 511. On the side of the other end of the battery terminal 51 in the longitudinal direction, a screw 512 that connects the battery terminal 51 with the fusible link 52 is provided. The battery terminal 51 has a shape extending toward an outer periphery 61a of the terminal mounting surface 61 when connected to the rod-like electrode 62 of the battery 6.
The fusible link 52 includes a power supply terminal 521, two circuit terminals 522, and a fusible body 523.
The battery terminal 51 is coupled to the power supply terminal 521 to supply power through the battery terminal 51. The power supply terminal 521 has an insertion hole 521a through which the screw 512 of the battery terminal 51 is inserted. When the screw 512 is inserted into the insertion hole 521a and fastened with a nut 513, the battery terminal 51 is connected to the power supply terminal 521.
A circuit that operates with power from the battery 6 is coupled to each of the two circuit terminals 522. Each circuit terminal 522 is provided with a screw 522a for coupling, for example, a round terminal or the like that constitutes a circuit.
The fusible body 523 is formed by connecting the power supply terminal 521 and the two circuit terminals 522 in a strip-shape manner, with a width of the fusible body 523 being narrower than widths of the power supply terminal 521 and the circuit terminals 522. An electric current flows from the battery 6 to the individual circuit terminals 522 through the power supply terminal 521 via the fusible body 523. When the electric current having a current value equal to or larger than a threshold value is flowed, the fusible body 523 is fused to prevent an excessive current from flowing in the circuit.
The fusible link 52 is formed by covering and fixing (molding), using an insulation resin material, the power supply terminal 521 made of a conductive metal, the two circuit terminals 522, and the fusible body 523. A resin housing 524 made of the insulation resin material covers and fixes part of the power supply terminal 521, the circuit terminal 522, and the fusible body 523, with the connection surfaces of the power supply terminal 521 and the circuit terminals 522 being exposed, and a window 524a being provided to allow viewing fusing of the fusible body 523. A window 524a for visual confirmation of fusing is covered by a transparent cover 525, such that fusing of the fusible body 523 is viewed through the transparent cover 525.
In the example illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, a circuit to which power is supplied is connected to a battery terminal 51 via the fusible link 52. Since some, but not large, electrical resistance, is included in the fusible link 52, a voltage drop usually occurs in the fusible link 52. Meanwhile, it may be desirable that an electrical connection with an electrical component be provided other than a main electrical connection with a minimized voltage drop against the battery, such as in the case of the connection between the battery and electrical components associated with a detection circuit that detects a residual capacity of the battery.
The present invention focuses on the above problem. An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a battery terminal capable of connecting an electrical component to a battery by suppressing a voltage drop.